


I'm a Man Now

by Hustler



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: ALL THE PAIRINGS - Freeform, Beth just has a crush, Bisexual Character, Crack, Daryl in lingerie, Demisexual Character, F/F, F/M, Heterosexual Character, I didn't think I had to explain this but there is no actual bethyl, I mean who could blame her, Lingerie, M/M, Model!AU, Multi, Pansexual Character, Rickyl, but I'm focusing on Rickyl, but all the characters get equal attention, honestly you just gotta read it to get it don't want to give away everything, look at Daryl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-02-25 10:20:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2618318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hustler/pseuds/Hustler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beth and Maggie are Victoria’s Secret models. Michonne (previous VS model) is an International Supermodel. Carol is a world famous fashion photographer and Rick is the successful producer she works with frequently. They are all set to work on their next big shoot in Georgia but need to buy their props on site. They visit a local hunting gear store, hoping to find what they need and meet the surly store owner who’s got no time for city folk, and realize their shoot couldn’t be complete without this man.</p><p>Cue all the awkward, blushing, pissed off Daryl you can imagine. Did I mention it’s a lingerie shoot?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bang Bang

_Hey, got a job back in Georgia…you girls want to go home? ;)_

“Woo!” Beth yelled, jumping and pumping her fist in the air, her Victoria’s Secret robe falling gracefully around her as she moved. The lingerie was another issue. She wiggled a bit trying to get VS’s new Spring Collection out of her ass.  Maggie laughed as she watched her sister; she knew exactly what she was doing.

“Whatever,” Beth said and went into their celebratory dance, side ponytail swinging around as she twirled, exaggeratingly shaking her ass.

Maggie joined in and jumped around, breathlessly she asked, “What are we happy about?”

Beth grabbed her hands and jumped with her. “We’re going home!” she shouted ecstatically. 

“What? Really!” Maggie asked, stopping their jumping. A feeling of hope and nostalgia mingled together, temporarily distracting her from her own wedgie. Beth stopped and smiled brilliantly, interlacing their fingers together.

“Yeah, sounds like Rick’s back,” Beth replied. Her face momentarily shifted, showing her youth, making Maggie want to hide her baby sister from the world. She smiled back at her and squeezed Beth’s hands.

“That was Carol?” Maggie asked. She knew it must have been, you couldn’t have Rick without Carol, but she really wanted to make sure before she got even more excited.

“Yeah!” Beth answered, the sparkle in her eyes returning in full magnitude.

“That means it’s really happening!” Maggie exclaimed letting it all sink in.

“Yeah!” Beth said, bouncing away to reply to Carol.

“What are we doing?” Maggie asked Beth following her around and looking over her shoulder as she texted.

“Who cares, it’s Carol!” Beth said in that know-it-all, little sister way of hers.

_Yes ma’am, we’re in! :D_

A knock interrupted them as their bodyguard and assistant came in to bring them onto set. Several floors later they were on their tallest location yet, a skyscraper in New York. Only the third out of the five they were doing for the photo shoot.

*******

Carol smiled and put her phone in the back of her jeans. She grabbed her camera from around her neck, fingers grazing over the edges in anticipation. The hit of adrenaline from the girls’ confirmation was already triggering her creative flow.

“Well?” a voice asked to her far left.

She turned back, a fond and exasperated smile on her face.

“They’re in. I could practically see the happy dance.” Carol paused, playing with the settings on her camera. “You know, they’d follow you to the end of the world.”

“No, they’d follow you. I’m just the producer that moves things around sometimes. They just happen to like me, too.”

“True,” Carol said. She gave one last smile and pointed the camera at him. “Say bullet-free!” 

Rick flipped her off, but in the viewfinder Carol saw his face break out into a blinding grin.

“That’s a keeper,” Carol said softly. She stared at the picture a while longer then shook herself out of it before she lingered on unnecessary memories.

“All right, turn around. I need to see the back of the jeans now,” Carol instructed, cocking her hip to one side and making a circular motion with her finger.

Rick did as he was told and gave her a dry look.

“Enjoying the view?” he asked.

“Eh.” Carol shrugged offhandedly.

Rick got that shithead gleam in his eyes and then he was leaning forward, looking like he was reaching for the counter five feet away from him.

“What if, what if I reach for that counter?” Rick bent at the waist, still looking back at Carol with a stupid pout on his lips, his pert ass up in the air and perfectly centered in her shot. “It’s in front of me but so far away,” Rick said with a ridiculous swoon in his voice.

Carol snapped pictures in retaliation, it was his dumbass that would have to deal with the blackmail later.

A loud rip of fabric was suddenly heard through the room.

“Rick Grimes! Did you just rip my Sasha Jeans?” Carol asked, dropping her camera to hang around her neck. She lunged toward him and before she could touch, Rick reached back and yup. They were done for. Carol inspected the damage anyway.

“I didn’t know Sasha added jeans to her line,” Rick said conversationally as Carol moved him around. He didn’t even flinch when she tugged on sensitive areas.  

“They were the first,” Carol said stiffly.

“Oh.” Rick looked down in shame. “I’ll pay for them?” he offered weakly.

Carol groaned and dropped her head into her hands.

******

Michonne stared out the window, watching indistinguishable shapes and colors become buildings and distinct groups of foliage as they descended. It was funny how after such a long time she still remembered which blob of buildings was which. Her fingers hovered over the last text message Carol had sent. She reread it for the hundredth time and broke into a grin.

Michonne grabbed her phone as soon as she got off the plane and called Carol.

“My plane just landed, I’ll meet you at the waiting area,” Michonne said excitedly.

“Turn to your left,” Carol said before Michonne could say anything else.

Confused, she glanced over. People passed by gathering their things and heading towards the exit.  Just when Michonne was about to ask what she was supposed to be looking for, there was Carol with a sly smile. Michonne didn’t hesitate as she ran over to her. She laughed as she swooped Carol up into a tight hug. Carol chuckled and squeezed her back.

“I missed you,” Carol said, running her hands over her. Michonne hummed in pleasure as the light touch soothed her cramped muscles from the flight.  

Michonne further leaned into her touch and rested her forehead against Carol’s.

“I missed you, too,” Michonne said quietly.

Carol caressed her face for a moment, taking in her dear friend.

“The loft is too big without you,” Michonne said accusingly.

Carol laughed. “It’s too big for the both of us.”

They embraced once more and off they went, shoulder to shoulder to claim Michonne’s belongings.

Carol slipped right next to Michonne in the cab, thighs pressing against each other.

“Your shoot took a while,” Carol said.

“Yeah, try borrowing the CCTV for three hours. So, from Louisiana to Australia?” Michonne asked.

“That wasn’t my fault. Once Morgan and I were done in Louisiana, he brought up this project that he was excited about. I got excited and then he confessed that it was sinking. One thing led to another and I was in Australia resurrecting an amazing photo shoot.” Carol dropped her hands in her lap and looked over at Michonne with a guilty look on her face.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Michonne patted her thigh soothingly.

“It’s the world we live in,” she said. “We staying with the girls?”

“Nah, there’s already enough people living there. Rick got us a cabin,” Carol replied.

Michonne raised an eyebrow. “Does he know what he’s doing?”

Carol pursed her lips and considered it for a moment.

“We’ll see.”

*******

Carol wrinkled her nose and looked around again. Their rental car was the only vehicle on the road and had been for a while now. There were some abandoned gas stations scattered around but other than that it was pretty barren.

“God damn it, Rick.”

With the help of a kind group of bikers they managed to find the damn place and Rick appeared not too long after they arrived.

Carol watched the irritation on Michonne’s face wash away as soon as she saw Rick step out of his car. Rick smiled as soon as he saw her and opened his arms as he approached them. Michonne met him half way and embraced him. Rick kissed the top of her head and looked like he was saying something to her.

Carol could only see her nod, her face hidden away in Rick’s neck.

Then they separated and Michonne punched him right on the arm.

“Ow!” Rick shouted.

“Shut up,” Michonne said coldly. She looked him up and down and squinted her eyes at him. “What’s on your face?” she asked.

Rick touched his face with a puzzled expression as he looked for whatever she was talking about.

Michonne raked her nails through his beard.

“That.”

“It’s my beard,” Rick scoffed.

“No, Rick Grimes, that’s a crime,” Michonne said seriously before giving him a playful smack on the thickest part of his face. Rick watched her walk away, stretching her arm over Carol’s shoulders as they walked into the cabin. Carol threw him one last smirk and followed Michonne inside.

Rick ran after them grumbling to himself.

“We should stay in, the girls are with their family and we’re losing daylight anyway,” Carol said to them once they were inside.

“All right, let’s hash out some basic ideas. We’ll keep it simple so when they come back they can help us flesh it all out,” Rick said.

“I can’t wait to see them,” Michonne remarked.

The next morning, Rick decided they should visit the local hunting gear store for their props before Beth and Maggie joined them.

“Yeah, that could work,” Carol agreed.

Michonne snorted, walking up to Rick and pinching his beard.

“Maybe we’ll find something for this,” she said.

Rick pushed her off and laughed when she stumbled a bit. It was hard to throw Michonne off balance. Her poise was ridiculous and legendary in the modeling world.  

“Losing your touch?” Rick teased.

Carol pulled him out of harm’s way before Michonne retaliated.

“Kids! Settle down, we’re wasting time.” Carol reminded them.

Michonne and Rick glared at each other and then fell in line behind Carol.

Somehow the air was drier just ten minutes away from their cabin, yet still frigid. The open air smelled crisp this morning and damn they were all glad to be home. New York was great, but it didn’t have anything on their home. The quiet sounds of life and small town surrounded them and it was like they were kids again.

People greeted them and were genuinely happy to wave or stop for a small chat. Some of them even recognized them a couple of times, congratulating them on their success. But it was overall a quiet and relaxing affair. No one was rushing or shoving them aside. It was the sort of hospitality New York could never afford. Delicious smells appeared here and there as they passed by family owned diners and restaurants.

It was so pleasant and comforting to be back that before they knew it, they had reached Dixon’s.

“Welcome, be with you in a second,” a gruff voice said from somewhere in the store.

They took in the well-kept looking shop, each of them targeting a corner they would take on. A rustle interrupted them before they dispersed as out of the back emerged a man that would throw them all off. 

He walked with a laidback gait, impressively toned arms hanging casually at his sides. That is, until that strange face took a good look at them. He squinted briefly and his body suddenly went rigid. Those muscles tensed and shifted, looking like they were waiting for provocation. A frightening stare looked them over, assessing them.

Rick stepped forward and the striking man immediately turned his attention to him, the position of his body staying alert of the others.

“Hello, I’m Rick Grimes,” Rick said, extending his hand out to the other man.

He squinted at him and then the hand.

“Daryl Dixon,” the man said finally, shaking his hand.

“Oh, are you the owner?” Rick asked.

Daryl crossed his arms over his chest, with a build like his it should have been a threatening stance, but somehow the man looked…smaller. Daryl nodded and looked briefly back at Carol and Michonne.

“Y’all aren’t from around here,” he said. The implication that he directed it more towards Rick was loud and clear.  

“We’re from Kings County and the like,” Rick said in what he hoped was a non-threatening voice.

“I know city folk when I see them,” Daryl replied.  

Rick was normally a man that could smooth talk anyone about anything. Yet, here he was having an awkward, benign exchange that felt more like an argument than anything. An argument that he was losing.

“Oh, he’s trouble,” Carol whispered to Michonne who nodded subtly, earning them a look from Daryl. As soon as he looked away, Carol and Michonne shared a look behind them and then Carol stepped forward bringing the attention to herself.

“We grew up around here but we haven’t been back in years,” she said calmly. Rick instantly felt relieved to have Daryl’s attention taken away from him. He felt Daryl’s cold eyes on him as he retreated, magnifying his discomfort.

Michonne followed Rick, knowing her company would ease him. She also figured Daryl would appreciate a divergence of attention as well.

Daryl’s stare cleared a fraction as he observed Carol.

“You got a nice store. Is that a Stryker back there?” Carol asked motioning to the crossbows displayed behind Daryl.

Daryl looked momentarily surprised. “Yeah. You hunt?” he asked.

“No, my ex-boyfriend did,” Carol said casually, unable to look Daryl in the eyes at the mention of Ed.

“The woman we came in with, Michonne, she taught me more than he ever did. She’s pretty into weaponry,” she said conversationally.

Daryl looked over at where Michonne must have been. Carol took the chance to look at his face in better detail. She caught an endearing beauty mark at the corner of his mouth before he looked back at her.

“I’m Carol,” she said introducing herself. Unlike with Rick, Daryl shook her hand as soon as she offered it to him.

“Daryl.”

Carol gave him a smile, causing Daryl to shift his gaze around. “You better warm up to us quick because you’ll be seeing us a lot the next two weeks,” she said with a wink.

“Y’all on vacation?” Daryl asked disbelievingly, flustered from her gesture.

“No, we’re here on business.” Carol answered.

Daryl raised his eyebrows. “Here?”

“Yup. We’re doing a photo shoot.”

*****

Rick walked around and switched onto work mode. He felt his ease and confidence return to him. The efficiency and expertise he had developed over his career moved him swiftly through the aisles. His eyes were quick and his mind focused, logging in prices. After a while he took out his notepad and wrote down a few notes.

“Hey, Michonne? You brought your swords right?” he asked.

Michonne snorted. “Of course.”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Daryl perk up at the mention of swords. Whatever went through his mind wasn’t agreeable if the scowl on his face was anything to by.

“Look what I found,” Michonne said mischievously, interrupting his train of thought.

Rick groaned at the item she pushed into his chest.

“I’m keeping it!” he declared.

Daryl eyed them from afar but after a moment resumed his conversation with Carol.

Michonne laughed under her breath and grabbed the electric razor back.

“I really think we should bring Beth and Maggie here, or have them check it out on their way back,” Carol said when she made her way back to them.  

“I was thinking the same thing,” Rick said.

“I think he’d love a visit from the Greene sisters,” Michonne said.

“Did you guys find anything?” Carol asked.

Rick held up a machete enclosed in thick protective plastic and Michonne held up various types of tarp.

“What about you?” Michonne asked.

“Some crossbows behind the counter. We could ask Daryl for some help with those,” Carol said carefully.

Rick and Michonne picked up on her tone. They looked over at Daryl as he moved around organizing things behind the counter.

“He’s got a presence, I’ll give him that,” Rick said.

Michonne grinned at Rick. “He’s tempestuous,” she said seriously.

Just then, Daryl’s phone rang. They watched him answer the call.

“Yeah. It just came in today, come on by. All right.”

He walked over to a cabinet and reached for a box above him. His sleeveless shirt rode up, exposing his tan skin, his arm muscles moving obscenely with the movement.

He must have felt their hungry stares because Daryl turned around suddenly, immediately locating them.

“What?” he yelled out.

They quickly turned to look at each other again.

“Michonne, give me the damn razor,” Rick said, trying to look intimidating.

“I wonder what changed your mind.”

*****

They walked to the cash register slowly trying not to spook Daryl. He already looked ready to pounce but they persisted. Rick tried his best to look like a normal customer making a purchase. Never mind the fact that he was, but Daryl’s stare made him feel like he was roach he was going to step on. In a very sick way Rick realized he loved the attention.

“Wait,” Daryl said and stopped Rick’s hand before he put down the machete. Rick’s heart might have stopped. Carol and Michonne might have held their breath. They all settled down when Daryl walked around them, his shoulders bunching up slightly when he passed them. He did the same when he returned but he carried on, obviously ignoring his discomfort. In his hands was another machete.

“This one’s better and the blade don’t shine as much. It might be better for your pictures,” he said. He looked over at Carol, waiting.

Carol smiled, realizing he wanted her approval. “That’s really helpful. Thanks, Daryl,” she said.

Daryl blushed under her appraisal. “I just don’t want y’all coming in more than you have to, bothering me and my costumers,” he spat.

“Get used to it, because you’re not scaring us off,” Carol replied, tucking one his business cards into her bra.

Michonne and Rick looked over at Carol in amazement. She was flirting with him.

Daryl held eye contact with her for a beat longer than they thought he would and then at the corner of his lips was the tiniest of smirks.

Carol seemed satisfied with herself and moved aside so Rick could pay.

“You gonna model, Gandalf?” Daryl asked him suddenly.

Rick spluttered and gave him a cold glare. “No, I’m the producer.”

Daryl openly looked him up and down causing every hair on Rick’s body to stand.

“Right.”

Then Daryl saw the electric razor.

To his credit he didn’t drop his poker face.

Much.

****

A look passed between the three of them as they left Dixon’s as they reached the car. They all knew what they were thinking.

They needed him.

They fucking needed this man.


	2. What Does the Fox Say?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Wooo happy TWD SUNDAY! I have a huge update for you guys AND a friend of mine made some art! Please send Sir some love at his tumblr: darylspanties.tumblr.com 
> 
> WARNING that tumblr is NSFW.
> 
> Please let me know if there are typos!

“Rick, let me shave you. You’re gonna do it wrong.”

“I’ll sit on your lap,” Michonne bargained when Rick didn’t reply. 

Rick flipped her off and tugged off his shirt as he walked into the bathroom.

Carol whistled at him and walked over with her camera. “Wait, let me get some shots,” she said as Rick tried to close the door on them.

“No and no.” He said as he pointed at both of them, his eyebrows going up in that way of his.

Carol snapped a picture at his face anyway, the flash bathed him, mockingly.

Michonne patted her thighs, “you can sit on mine, final offer.”

“No!”

It didn’t matter, Michonne squeezed in right behind him and Carol glued herself to Michonne’s back. Rick got manhandled down onto the toilet seat and Michonne took the lead. Carol not being able to help herself either, began to direct them.

“Michonne, move him over a little to the left. Yeah. Can you block out the light a little? Perfect!” 

Rick sought escape and lunged for the door. He gripped onto the doorknob roughly and the damn thing broke off. The door stubbornly stayed lodged in place.

“Really?” he asked exasperated.

“Oh, no.” Carol said devoid of sincerity. “Guess we’re stuck in here…”

They plopped him back down and Michonne really did sit on his lap. Rick swallowed carefully as Michonne positioned the razor right on his throat. It was completely safe…but it was still startling.

Michonne noticed, of course, and subtly readjusted her body to ease him. His hand stumbled between them and ended up resting on her thigh. He held on tight. She paused for a moment and waited until he looked back at her.

It was only for a second that they held eye contact, but it was enough. Michonne saw his fear. He hadn’t been physically vulnerable with anyone since his hospitalization. She didn’t hesitate and looked back at him with all the affection she held for him in their decade long friendship. His body instantly gave in and he relaxed under her.

After that their teasing and bickering picked up again. Carol jumped up on the counter of the sink and subjected herself to precarious positions to take her pictures. Michonne remained as diligent as ever but after sneaking a couple looks at her, she had to set the razor down for Rick’s safety and laugh.

“You’re insane,” Michonne said fondly.

Carol grinned and snapped a picture of Michonne’s beautiful face as she laughed. No script, no direction, no angles to keep in mind. Just Michonne.   

Michonne resumed her work when Carol jumped back down, and then stopped. She looked at Rick for a moment and then down at their laps.

“Really?” she asked.

“It’s just a reaction to contact. I’m sorry!”

Carol leaned in and looked down as well. She looked up at Rick and Rick watched incredulously as she got that look on her face. She gently pulled Michonne a fraction of a centimeter back and supported her as she pointed the camera right at their laps and took a picture. She took a breath about to say something, hands already forming a gesture. She was about to fucking art direct his dick. He just fucking knew it.

“Rick, make-”

“No!”

*****

“Look at that,” Carol said. She set her camera down for a moment and took in Rick’s face. Michonne hummed in agreement.

“Handsome enough to share a frame with me,” she said lightheartedly. Carol gave a few enthusiastic nods in agreement. Rick had truly grown into his masculine features since they’d first met during their college years. That had been the last time Rick was clean-shaven. There was a definite strength to his jaw now, not the sweet, sensual slope resting under cherry lips.

Carol glanced down at Michonne’s hands resting on his shoulders. There was so much power in those hands and yet, they sat graceful without intent. A small change of angle and they looked loving, a gentle caress shared between lovers. It was breathtakingly beautiful, so Carol took another picture. A shift to the left and the light played sinisterly on their bodies. Her hands looked ready to bring him to his knees.

They’d look better digging into that jaw though.

“Grab his jaw, and sink your fingers in,” Carol commanded. Michonne grinned at her before resuming her position and gripped Rick’s face. Rick gasped at the sensation and looked up at Michonne. Her fierce stare had him at attention. Her eyes warned him not to move without her permission. He wouldn’t, without their instruction.

It wasn’t just anyone that could get him into the proper headspace of a model, but when he was at the mercy of Michonne and Carol, well. Their combination had quite the effect on him.

Carol moved around them and Rick snuck a look at her. She wasn’t using the viewfinder and it lent a perfect view to her own intense gaze. She seemed omnipotent, as if she was creating exactly what she wanted instead of merely recording something that already existed.

Then her eyes locked on his.     

Once they were done Michonne walked confidently over to the door. She looked back at Rick with a wink and then kicked the door open swiftly and effectively.

“Useless, Grimes.” 

*****  
Michonne and Rick were lying down on opposite ends of the couch with legs intertwined, Rick’s head on Carol’s thighs. Carol played with his curls as they contemplated Daryl. Michonne dropped her head back to look at the ceiling with a sigh.

“We know he likes Carol the best,” she said.

“And Rick the least,” Carol teased.

Rick grunted back.

“Shop seems all right,” Rick said after a while.

“Everyone could always use a little more financial cushion,” Carol said.

“He’s very private, not really the type for all this…” Michonne trailed off.

“Glamour?” Carol asked sarcastically. “Yes Michonne, look at this fabulous place. I’m never leaving.”

Rick grunted again and kicked Michonne while he turned over like a scorned child into Carol’s stomach. Michonne snickered at him.

“You know what I mean,” Michonne said to Carol. She rubbed her legs against Rick apologetically. Carol laughed and rubbed his back soothingly. Michonne shared a smile with Carol. Nothing beat finally being back together with her best friends.

Rick popped his head out after a while and reached for Carol’s tablet.

“For now our best bet is you, Carol. Maybe it’ll be enough to get him here, and then we go from there,” he said.

“I don’t know if we could get him to come over in such a short amount of time,” Carol replied.

“Michonne, what can we buy from his store that would require a truck and that we could incorporate into the photo shoot?” Rick asked.

“We could buy a few ground blinds and accessories. To actually make them worthwhile for the shoot we’d have to use real foliage,” Michonne answered.

Rick pulled up pictures of ground blinds and handed it over to Michonne.

“That’s it. Think it’ll work?” Michonne asked after looking it over, afterwards handing the tablet back to Carol.

Rick smirked at her “If I walk up to him asking for that, he’ll laugh in my face.”

“But he won’t let us leave without actually helping, because he’s a good guy,” Michonne finished, giving Rick a sly look.

“This would actually be perfect,” Carol said dreamily.

*****

Maggie watched Glenn get up from the couch to get her another serving of her mama’s apple pie and felt a sudden weight drop right next to her. She turned quickly to see her sister looking around suspiciously, as if she was watching out for someone.

“Just got the coordinates for the next target,” Beth whispered.

“What?” Maggie asked.

“Stakeout tomorrow, we depart at 0600.”

“What?” Maggie repeated.

“Ugh, this is why Carol always texts me first. Check your stupid phone!” Beth got up in a huff, pushing Maggie’s face into the sofa cushion.

Glenn smiled at Beth as he came back and she smiled back so sweetly he didn’t react when she took the plate from his hands.

“No! Not my pie!” Maggie yelled in horror pushing Glenn at of the way as she chased her sister down.   

*****

“Fuck it’s cold,” Maggie whispered.

Beth looked at her and the jacket she was zipping up.

“Is that my jacket?” Beth asked, annoyed.

Maggie continued looking through the windshield of the truck. “Yes,” she whispered innocently. “It’s what you get for what you did. What kind of woman steals another woman’s pie?”

“Her sister,” Beth sassed back.

“You’re a little shit, you know that?” Maggie fired back.

Beth glared at her but decided to ignore it for now. They were on a mission. She took a deep breath, centering herself and focused, looking out for their target. Maggie reached into her bag and pulled out the home-made Rice Krispies their mama made specifically for their stakeout. A little note with cute writing sat on the batch of treats.

_Good luck! Give him hell girls._

Maggie smiled and quickly sent her mom a thank you text. She stuffed a whole Rice Krispie in her mouth before she hit her sister with the container full of treats.

“What?” Beth asked exasperated looking out the window.

Maggie smacked her again not taking her eyes off the road. Beth turned around ready to retaliate until she noticed the food.

“Yes!” Beth exclaimed and dove right in.

“I look extra fucking cute today,” Beth whispered after a while, munching on her snack.

Maggie gave her a funny look and was about to respond when out of the corner an old truck pulled in and parked right next to the building. A man dressed in comfortable clothing stepped out of the truck.

“Oh shit, I think that’s him,” Maggie said grabbing for her phone. Beth did the same and pointed the camera at him, zooming in.

“Oh my god, look at those shoulders,” Beth gushed.

“You could cut some serious glass with those cheekbones,” Maggie said in awe.

“Do you think he’s single?” Beth asked.

“Shut up, he’s too old for you,” Maggie scolded.

“Daddy was seven years older than mom. He’s not that much older, what is he like 30?”

“Stop it.”

Beth wanted to keep arguing for the sake of arguing with her sister, when she noticed Daryl holding a container.

“What is that?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Maggie replied.

Both sisters zoomed in on the container and inside was the indistinguishable form of a live reptile.

“Is that…? I thought he sold hunting gear?” Maggie asked in confusion.

Beth made a face and gagged, “Yeah, ugh, I fucking hate turtles.”

“What if that’s his best friend? That could be the man’s dog. Still want to date him?” Maggie asked obnoxiously, poking Beth’s shoulder repeatedly. She giggled at the horrified look on Beth’s face.

“What’s it gonna be? Hot boyfriend, or be bitter and hate on God’s innocent creatures?”

“Oh shit!” Maggie yelled and grabbed Beth’s head and ducked them out of sight when Daryl suddenly turned to face their truck.

“Do you think he saw us?” Beth asked her voice going into a higher pitch. She could feel the giggles coming on.

“I don’t know,” Maggie replied excitedly. Once one of them got infected with them it was all over.

They emerged slowly, hands pressed to their mouths to keep the giggles in, almost expecting him to be at their truck. They exploded into a fit of laughter when they noticed he was gone.  

“He’s probably opening up the store,” Maggie said, trying to sober up.  

They exited the truck quickly, with a few treats in their pockets and looked around, adrenaline temporarily overriding their giddiness.

Beth’s ponytail bounced as she checked their perimeter. “Clear,” she said.

Maggie nodded and signaled for her to follow. They snuck around to the front of the store and peaked in. They could see Daryl moving around inside. They moved away before he could spot them and rested against the wall of the store.

Beth looked up and noticed the sign with the store’s hours, “Store opens in 20 minutes,” she said.

“Crap!” Maggie jumped as the front door opened and out came Daryl with a scowl.

He looked between the two sisters as he forced the door to stay open.

They had rehearsed this very moment several times on the drive over and yet the giggles were coming back full force, and they were trying their damnedest to just keep them in.  

“Well?” he asked impatiently.

Beth looked to Maggie to take the lead. Maggie gave a small shake of her head trying to get Beth to step up. Before either of them could form an appropriate response Daryl sighed with the look of a man who did not ask the Lord to test him.

“I still have to setup but you’re welcome to look around,” Daryl walked back into his shop and looked at the sisters over his shoulder “but no funny business,” he added.

Maggie wasn’t sure if Daryl was anal about the “no food or drink” sign they passed on their way in, so she snuck bites of her Rice Krispie when she turned corners. Paranoid, she checked on Daryl every time she did.

Beth on the other hand kept circling back to the counter. It wasn’t because of the very attractive shop owner. No, she couldn’t stop looking at the thing in the huge tank behind him. It was like a bad car accident.

“You got a problem with my turtle?” Daryl finally asked, squinting at her.

“He’s mushy!” Beth blurted out before she could stop herself.

“You don’t know that!” Daryl yelled back. He was _pissed_ , but he looked just like Maggie did when they argued. Hissing and glaring, more for show than anything. She wasn’t in any real danger.

She moved closer to the counter and his mouth immediately turned down.

“You keep away from my turtle,” Daryl growled protectively.

Beth bent down at an angle to get a better view of it. She looked up at Daryl skeptically.

“He _looks_ mushy,” she said.

Daryl looked a combination of annoyed and exasperated before he finally turned his back on her. Beth watched in horror as he reached inside the tank for the turtle with his bare hands. He turned around and there it was, in his hands.

“His name’s Anthony,” Daryl said quietly. He looked at Beth shyly and critically before placing his hands on the counter next to her.

Beth shook her head at Daryl in fear, and when he stared her down she finally looked at Anthony. He was just sitting there in Daryl’s hands. She focused on his shell first and then slowly worked herself up at looking at his…flesh. She had to do it. She had to. She took a deep breath and quickly touched the top of his head.

“Ah!” Beth squeaked and Anthony’s head ducked back into his shell. Beth stared in astonishment. She did it!

Anthony poked his head back out and looked perpetually annoyed, as all turtles seemed to look like to her. She looked back at Daryl with a smile she couldn’t contain.

Daryl alternated between doing an impression of a smile at her and actually smiling proudly at Anthony.

“Maybe he’s not _that_ bad,” she said cheekily.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe that just happened,” Maggie said, mouth full of food.

Both Daryl and Beth jumped, not having noticed her at all, standing off to the side like a spectator.

Daryl glared, because apparently that was his favorite thing to do, but once he noticed Maggie was eating, he downright annihilated the food with his death-stare.

“Didn’t you see the sign? No food,” Daryl said exasperatedly.

“You say that, but have you considered that these are home-made and I am willing to share?” Maggie said confidently.

Daryl looked like he didn’t know what to say to that. In fact, with every passing moment he spent with them, he looked less and less hostile and more worn down. Maggie slid over a tissue wrapped Rice Krispie on his counter like it was a sure bribe. What she didn’t know was that Daryl had an insatiable sweet tooth.

*****

“I just got a text from the girls,” Carol said to the room.

Michonne stopped mid pushup with Rick on her back.

“Daryl gave them free chocolate bars and they held his turtle,” Carol said.

Michonne scrunched up her face. Rick looked scandalized.

“By turtle you mean…” Michonne asked.

“His _pet_ turtle. Look, they sent a picture,” Carol said turning her phone so they could see.

Maggie and Beth were both in the frame cupping their hands under the turtle. Beth had a little chocolate smudge on the corner of her lips and Maggie had a few streaks on her fingers.

Someone else had taken the picture.

Daryl Dixon had taken a picture of them holding his turtle.

“How’d they pull that off?” Rick asked.

“Never underestimate the charm and power of women working together,” Carol said proudly.

Michonne nodded and went back down for another set.

“When are they coming over?” Rick asked.

“They’re already on their way.”

****

“We stopped at the store to get some ingredients,” Maggie said as she walked into the cabin’s kitchen with several bags.

“He has a sweet tooth,” Beth said, carrying the rest of the groceries in.

Michonne perked up instantly. “I came make a double chocolate cake.”

“We figured,” Maggie responded with a smile.

Once the groceries were put away Maggie jumped into Michonne’s arms and wrapped her legs around her waist.

“I’ve missed you!” Maggie shouted.

Michonne squeezed her back and spun her around the room for a moment.

“I missed you too,” Michonne said tenderly.

Beth immediately ran to Carol and hugged her.

Carol laughed and kissed her forehead.

“My precious girl,” Carol said into her hair.

Beth giggled and cuddled further into her.

Rick watched the reunion quietly, basking in their joy. It had been a long time since he was in a crowded room with the noise of his loved ones. He wasn’t listening to anything they were saying in particular, and yet their commotion was soothing.

He took in their happy faces, commemorating their interactions for the next lull in between seeing them all together again. His bittersweet moment was broken when the Greene sisters spotted him.

“Oh my god!” Maggie yelled, coming at him at full force.

“Rick!” Beth yelled, running after her sister.

He was tackled on both sides and given kisses on his cheeks. Rick held onto their waists, returning the kisses on the top of their heads. Beth reached out and ran her fingers under his chin and across his jaw.

“It’s gone,” she whispered.

Rick jerked at the caress and pulled her hand away only to have Maggie replace it.

“I’m gonna miss your grey hairs,” Maggie said with a pout.

“All right,” Rick said, gently pushing the girls away.

“Michonne where do you need us?” Rick asked.

Michonne quickly delegated prepping jobs for everyone after looking over the groceries. The girls had bought a diverse amount of ingredients.

Daryl Dixon didn’t stand a chance.

Once they were done with a majority of the work Rick, Michonne, and Carol left the girls with instructions to finish off the rest of the pastries.

****

Rick immediately noticed the small eye roll Daryl was giving as he walked around his counter. There was a tank he hadn’t seen before. Inside was the turtle they had all seen in the picture.

“You’re back,” Daryl groaned.

Carol and Michonne bumped each other’s shoulders knowingly. 

“I could be wrong, but aren’t you supposed to greet customers? Especially loyal ones?” Rick asked.

Daryl snorted, stopping on his way to the back room to look at Rick properly.

“Loyal…more like fucking annoying. Oh shit, really shaved it off didn’t you, Gandalf?”

Daryl cut off Rick before he could respond, “Man, I thought you were fifty or something, but you’re like my age.”

Carol let out a muffled sound from behind them. Michonne smacked her arm and glared at her to keep quiet.

“Is that why you had that mess of road kill on your face? You compensating for that baby face, Grimes?” Daryl continued to taunt.

Rick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Daryl watched him with a shit-eating grin on his face looking much too proud of himself.  

“Listen, I’m here for something. Can you do your job for one second and assist me?” Rick said, staring Daryl down.

“So close,” Michonne muttered under her breath.

Daryl’s expression changed so fast, Carol feared for Rick. It seemed he didn’t like his professionalism questioned.

“We need ground blinds,” Michonne interjected.

Daryl held Rick’s stare for a moment before turning to Michonne.

“Ground blinds,” Daryl repeated.

“We need three of the biggest ones you have,” she said.

Daryl nodded and brought her over to the part of his store that had them after throwing another glare at Rick.  

“Sorry about him,” Michonne said, looking over his equipment.

Daryl snorted and deflected the comment by pointing out an accessory.

“He doesn’t get flustered easily but when it happens, he’s a train wreck,” she said amusedly.  

Daryl gave her a strange look.

“To be fair, you like pushing his buttons.” Michonne grinned at him, “I don’t blame you.”

“So, these for your pictures or what?” Daryl asked, referring to the ground blinds. He looked back at Carol and looked away before she noticed him.

“Yup,” Michonne answered. She smiled at him, it was time to use their way in. Michonne continued _browsing_ , looking everywhere but at Daryl.

“I haven’t seen her this excited about a project in a long time. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to work together. It means a lot to her,” she said nonchalantly.

Michonne looked up at him then, “We’re lucky we found your store. It took a lot of pressure off her.”

Daryl looked deep in thought. He surprised her by bringing his thumb into his mouth and gnawing on it. It looked incredibly endearing and telling on such a coarse and impervious man.

She pursed her lips to keep in the smile that wanted to break out on her face.

Daryl sighed tiredly looking down at his feet.

“She deserves the best, biases aside, she’s special. But you can tell that, can’t you?” Michonne asked.

Daryl’s eyes found hers but he did not remove his thumb. He didn’t even seem to realize it was there or didn’t care that it was.

He gave a shy nod of his head and searched her face.

“Where did you live before all this?” He asked her suddenly.

“Atlanta, why?” Michonne responded, thrown off. She expected him to keep attention away from himself, but it seemed like an odd direction to go in.

Daryl shook his head. “Never mind,” he mumbled.

****

Daryl and Michonne walked back to the counter with the items they could carry. Carol smiled with appreciation but then groaned and rested her arms on the counter. Rick bumped her hip and rested his arms next to hers in question.

She picked up her head and looked at him, “Setup is going to be a bitch,” she moaned.  

Rick placed a comforting hand on her back and very determinedly did not react to Daryl’s presence. He was not going to screw this up.

“When do you need them?” Daryl asked.

“Today,” Carol answered.

Daryl scratched his beard in thought. He looked behind him at his tank for a moment. After a while he blew out a sigh and finished ringing them up.

“All right, I’ll follow you with my truck,” he said.

Suddenly Daryl had all their eyes on him. Carol rose from her slouch in excitement.

“Really?”

“Well you ain’t gonna fit all this in your hybrid or whatever you people drive. Might as well make sure the job gets done right,” he cut a look at Michonne, “I’m sure she knows what she’s doing, but I wouldn’t trust city-boy over here to help.”

Rick didn’t even look that irritated as he mouthed a small, insincere “fuck you” before paying.

****

“Oh my god.”

“Is this really happening?”

Maggie and Beth stared with mouths open as they watched Daryl assemble their ground blinds through the window. Even Carol stopped on her way out the door with a tray of lemonade.

Daryl had stripped down to his last layer on top, a small threadbare tank. It was soaked in sweat, (they all thanked Georgia’s heat for the first time) and clung to him as he moved. His shoulders were impossibly broad and now there was nothing to hide the definition of his arms.

“Slap me,” Beth said.

Without taking her eyes off the scene Maggie slapped her sister hard.

“Ow!”

“You asked me to,” Maggie replied innocently.

Beth pouted at her but quickly looked back at Daryl.

“Is everything ready?” Carol asked them.

“Almost, still got some frosting to get to,” Maggie answered.

“We’re on it,” Beth said.

Carol straightened herself out and walked out of the cabin.

The closer she got to him she could see the sweat roll tantalizingly down his throat and into his shirt. His dark, messy hair falling into his face, accentuating the sharp angles of his face. She couldn’t imagine how Rick was taking it all in.

“Hey, want some lemonade?” Carol offered.

Daryl looked over at her with a hand shielding his bright blue eyes from the sun. His serious face broke into a hesitant smile when she pushed a glass into his hand.

“It’s the least I could do,” she said.

Daryl slowly grasped the glass. “Thank you,” he said softly.

He brought the glass to his lips for a sip and then let out a small surprised noise. He looked down at the glass, licking his lips repeatedly, chasing the flavor.

“Strawberry,” he said happily, looking at the fresh strawberries floating around.

“Yeah, Rick’s favorite too,” Carol said, taking a glass for herself.

Daryl’s eyebrow rose at the mention of his name. He scanned the area for him and found him walking with Michonne. In their arms were small branches and leaves for the ground blinds. He locked eyes with him and Michonne for a brief moment before he took another drink.

The muscles in his throat worked as he drank, with a groan he tipped the glass back and chugged it down. He ran his tongue over his lower lip and sucked it into his mouth before setting his attention to the strawberries left in the glass.

He tilted the glass upwards and let his tongue do most of the work. That dirty looking pink tongue twisted and turned precisely, grabbing each strawberry with ease. When he caught a particularly big one he held it in his fingers and sucked on it loudly. He gave it three bug sucks before biting down on it.

Carol had expected him to eat it all in one bite but he took small ones, savoring it with a suck at each new layer of fruit exposed. The corner of his lips stained pink and red again before that tongue cleaned up all the juices.

He looked about ready to lick his fingers when the sound of someone stumbling startled him. Rick was halfway to the ground before Michonne steadied him.

Carol was eternally grateful because she didn’t know how much more torture she could take from the man.

“Ha!” Daryl laughed good-naturedly and went to help pick up some of the branches that fell, completely carefree and unaware of the heated stares he was receiving from everyone.

****

Daryl was pretty self-sufficient throughout most of the setup. As was Michonne, but she stepped out and sat next to Carol to enjoy some more lemonade and let the man work in his element.

She took the chance to study him. If he was to work with them, they’d be modeling together. She needed to know his movements and expressions. Exposure to his work ethnic was a great bonus. She also wanted to watch Rick struggle to help whenever Daryl actually needed him.

Daryl worked fluidly, in a natural motion, his lean body never stopping. Always moving if Rick wasn’t talking to him. When Rick did talk to him his body paused and zoned in on him. He had a stillness that Michonne had only seen in the best models…and hunters.

That was pure discipline, what ceased the perpetual motion of his body to focus all his senses on one thing. She could definitely work with that.

****

Rick didn’t know how he ended up helping Daryl when Michonne of all people, actually knew what to do, and Carol was supposed to be Daryl’s favorite person.

And where the hell where the Greene sisters?

“Relax,” Daryl said.

“What?” Rick asked.

“Relax, if you keep that up you’re gonna mess up the branches,” he replied.

“I’m going to mess up putting branches on top of other branches?” Rick asked carefully.

Daryl groaned in annoyance but went over to Rick and actually patted his arm and walked around him, several feet away from the blind they were working on.

Rick followed him and looked at him with question.

Daryl pointed at their work with a lazy swing of his arm.

“You see the difference between my side and yours?” Daryl asked, not sarcastic or teasing for once.

Rick looked at his side, it looked stacked and neat. Daryl’s side looked like actual camouflage. Daryl looked at him and nodded before going over to Rick’s side of the blind. Rick couldn’t help but notice the way his muscles rippled and moved as he watched him move some of the branches around. He had always had a preference for definition gained through labor rather than frequent trips to the gym. Nothing beat the texture sun-exposure added to competent muscles.

“Eyes up here,” Daryl said, scaring Rick to attention.

Surprisingly Daryl just shook his head and grabbed Rick by the bicep and forced him back to work.

“Show me,” Daryl said, gesturing to the branches.

Rick snuck a look at his face trying to gauge him. He couldn’t. Daryl had one of the best closed off faces he had known. Something about that way his eyes were slit and the presence of his brow really hid anything he didn’t want to show.

He rearranged some of his earlier work under Daryl’s supervision before Michonne called them over.

***

There was no way to describe the expression on Daryl’s face, only that there was definitely a gleam in his eyes they hadn’t seen before.

“I made turkey and roast beef, help yourselves,” Carol said pointing at the tray covered in large sandwiches. 

Daryl eyed those hungrily but his eyes kept coming back to the spread on the other table.

“We got some apple pie, ice-cream is in the freezer if you want it, blueberry pie, double chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and red-velvet cupcakes,” Maggie said cheerfully.

“There’s also sugar cookies in the oven,” Beth whispered.

“Um,” Daryl uttered and then recovered noticing the sisters.

“It’s you two!” Daryl shouted, pointing at them in shock.

“Yeah,” Beth said happily.

“We told you we were going to a friend’s house. We asked if you wanted to come,” Maggie replied with annoyance in her voice.

Daryl opened and closed his mouth a few times before his eyes widened comically.

“You were scoping me out!” Daryl turned to the others, “And you planted them on me.”

“What’s going on?” Daryl asked. He looked spooked and damn suspicious of them all.

They all looked at each other before Carol sighed and stepped up.

“We really want you to be a part of the photo shoot, and I’m not talking about building the set.”

Daryl looked at her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Would you be interested in modeling for us? With Michonne, Maggie, and Beth?” Carol finally asked.

Daryl looked stunned then aggravated. “Stop messing around. What do you really want from me?”

“I’m serious. Rick and I will draw up a contract and everything. You’ll get paid for this, as well as credit for set building.”

 Daryl looked around at everyone, held significant eye contact with Michonne and then with Carol.

“You’re serious,” he said after a while.

Carol dared to smile then. “Yes.”

“I-Look, I just came to help I…why me?” Daryl asked with a small voice.

“You’d have the fashion world on its knees if you looked at my camera,” Carol said confidently.

The answer didn’t seem to satisfy him and he continued to stare at her with a lost expression, looking about ten years old.

“You’ve got great work ethic, you’re highly respectful, and considerate. I think you’re very compatible with Michonne, Maggie, and Beth. Best of all, you don’t take Rick’s shit,” Carol listed off.

Daryl looked at everyone again and stopped at Rick’s face.

“She’s right,” Rick confirmed, smiling encouragingly at him.

Carol nudged him along and put a plate in his hands. The rest of the group took turns pilling up his plates. One for sandwiches and one for desserts.

Daryl looked a cross between uncomfortable and ravenous.

Carol gestured at everyone to get plates as well and stop gawking at the poor flustered man. They all sprang into action, but kept an eye out for when Daryl first tried anything or decided to continue their conversation.

He looked down at his food as if he didn’t know how it had appeared before him, but reached for a slice of the double chocolate cake anyway.

The entire room jumped at the little gasp he let out. It was soft and sweet in a way that none of them would have ever anticipated his gruff voice producing.

Daryl held the fork tightly in his mouth, hand wrapped firmly around the end of it. He looked down at the slice of cake like it had personally offended him.

“This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had,” he said grumpily.

“Thank you,” Michonne said sincerely.

“You made this?” Daryl asked, fork still in his mouth.

“Yeah…and I can make more if you decide to come over again,” Michonne said playfully.

“Come on Daryl, it’s not like you don’t like hanging out with us,” Beth said sliding next to him on the couch.

Daryl regarded her before taking another bite of his cake.

“I ain’t got abs,” he said spitefully and took another bite.

“It’s not that kind of photo shoot,” Carol replied, beginning to hope.

Daryl took two more quick bites before leaving the fork in his mouth again.

“What the hell, then?”

Michonne sat directly across from him wanting a front-row seat of the revelation.

“It’s a campaign for lingerie that wants to remarket itself as the most durable of its kind, while still being sexy.”

“I thought you said it wasn’t like that,” Daryl said warily.

“It’s set during a zombie apocalypse,” Carol deadpanned.

“Oh.”

Rick came around to them and sat next to Michonne.

“It’s more of a short action film, shot through photography, occasionally giving glimpses of the lingerie,” Rick explained.  

Daryl took the last bite of his chocolate cake and looked miserable for a moment before he dug into the apple pie.

“That doesn't sound too bad. Definitely not like any lingerie magazine I’ve seen,” he said distractedly. He let out a happy sigh and sucked on the goo left on his fork.

“Oh, what kind of magazines? Maggie and I work for Victoria’s Secret and Michonne is super famous now and pretty much does everything,” Beth said excitedly.

Daryl blushed. “I haven’t seen much, just stuff that gets put in my mail by accident and those annoying ads on the internet,” he said defensively.

“Darn, was hoping you’d recognize us or something,” Beth said sullenly.

“So if I did this, I’d be working with all of you and be in front of the camera with those two and Michonne?” Daryl asked.

“That’s the plan,” Carol confirmed.

“Do I have to touch them?” Daryl asked, with an uncomfortable look on his face, edging away as he said it.

“There is contact with the models and they’ll have contact with each other. It’s pretty standard, but there will be sets that won’t require it. Like I said, it’s not like that. You won’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Daryl. We’ll always run things by you first,” Carol said.

Carol pushed the plate with the rest of the chocolate cake closer to him and set off to look for her tablet to show him some of their previous work.

“If it makes you feel better think of it as acting.” Beth said.

“This one is going to be especially fun. Zombies! How can you go wrong?” Maggie gushed.  

Carol returned and handed the tablet over to Michonne. Michonne walked over to Daryl and sat on his other side. Together they looked through the pictures. Daryl looked fascinated. There were pictures of Carol’s most famous work, her favorite projects, and past lingerie shoots. He paused at an older picture of Michonne. It was early in her career when she’d been new to VS.

“That’s you?” he stammered. He looked shyly at her from the corner of his eye and back at the picture.

“Yes,” she smiled at his reaction. “I was very young. I knew I had talent, but damn was I still insecure about modeling.”

Daryl flushed pink. 

“Carol really helped me through it.” Michonne looked over at Carol briefly reliving their earliest memories together.  

She turned back to Daryl and leaned into him subtly. She studied his face, his sharp eyes were alight with shock and recognition, lips thinned with tension.

“Have you seen that picture before?” She asked carefully.

Daryl immediately stiffened next to her. “Why would I?”

Michonne smirked. “Daryl did you grow up with me?”

“No!” Daryl shouted.

“Then you probably never saw these before either.” Michonne said. More of her younger pictures came up and though he tried to hide it, Daryl did recognize them. He became more intimidated by Michonne’s presence by the end of it.

“Don’t let your sandwiches get cold,” Michonne reminded him.

Stiffly, he grabbed one and bit into it. His awkwardness eased again as he lost himself in the food.

“Amazing, huh?” Michonne said with a stuffed mouth.

Daryl relaxed again when he noticed her making a mess out of herself. Maggie tossed her a can of spray cheese and she squirted the thing directly into her full mouth. They all laughed at her and Daryl let her spray some onto his plate. They settled into easy conversation and enjoyed the food, giving Daryl his space and time to consider their proposition.  

***

He couldn’t believe he had agreed to do it, but there he was, back again three days later, staring at the clothing they expected him to wear. The lingerie he had agreed to wear. Lingerie that had apparently been made just for him by two people named Sasha and Tyreese.

He was sure he wouldn’t have agreed if he hadn’t been surrounded by so many people engaging him,  and buttering him up; talking to him like he had interesting things to say and something to offer. He was weak. Merle would laugh in his face if he knew how he had pretty much caved at the look in Carol’s eyes…and the promise of more cakes. He hadn’t felt wanted like that his entire life.

It wasn’t just that. He fucking liked them all. He didn’t know them well enough, but his mama always said he was good at reading people. For cityfolk, he was surprised they didn’t give him a single bad vibe.

Carol had been the first to rope him in. He’d only seen glimpses of her sense of humor but he was a fan. She was sweet too and there was something beautiful in her that made him want to stick around for some fucking reason. Like Michonne had said before, she was special, and he could tell.

And after the whole Anthony thing he had a soft spot for Beth. Kid was cute anyway, if Daryl was honest with himself he wouldn’t have stayed indifferent about her for long. He really admired the way Maggie took her role as older sister. He was a little envious of Beth for that reason. She was fun and easy going, but always looking after little sister. Strict with her when she needed to be, and unconditionally loving. Kinda made him a little sad in way he didn’t want to think about.

Then there was Rick. He could tell the man was competent and intelligent, probably a prominent figure in his profession. Daryl wasn’t stupid, he saw the way Rick held himself. That is, whenever he wasn’t aware of Daryl watching him. He didn’t know how or even why he threw Rick off. Who was he to Rick’s world? A hick at the most. A dirty stain under his designer shoes.

Yet, Rick didn’t look at him like that. Yeah they were constantly making faces at each other, but somehow they were void of maliciousness. He just seemed completely out of his element around him. He wasn’t so bad. It was stupid to overlook all the good people he had around him.

Merle would have approved of him working with Michonne though. He hadn’t wanted to admit it to her, though he could tell she knew, he had recognized her.

He was out of high school the first time he saw her in a Victoria’s Secret catalogue. He’d done a double-take when he’d seen her picture. At first he thought it was Danielle, his first and last crush.

The smile was off though. Michonne’s was wider and more mischievous. He couldn’t help it, she looked so much like Danielle he’d fallen hard for Michonne and scoured every magazine he could find for more pictures of her.

She was the first person he jerked it off to.

He always thought that was a little weird considering he knew Danielle all through high school, but he hadn’t even looked at her in any special way until their senior year. Even then, somehow the need had never been strong enough for him to stick his hands down his pants.

It wasn’t until that summer that he’d hung out with her a few more times that he began to dream about her and would wake up with wet bed sheets. Before anything could happen she moved away to college.

Then, Daryl discovered Michonne.

She may have been a big reason why Daryl had agreed to do the photo shoot. Although he had lost track of her career pretty soon after that, what with his father’s death and Merle enlisting, she still remained the only person Daryl had really ever fantasized about.

He couldn’t believe he hadn’t recognized her before, of course he’d been distracted by the novelty of so many people suddenly appearing in his life with the intention to socialize.

To be honest, he was also distracted by giving Rick a hard time whenever she was around.

There were two sets of panties before him, a light pastel pink, and a deep hunter green.

They must have brought him the wrong pair. The pink looked like it would have suited Beth perfectly, it would have gone with her soft features and the hunter green would have brought out the fire in Maggie’s eyes.

He almost called Carol in when he noticed the rumpled fabric in the front. Nope. Those were for him, the girls would not have needed the extra space in the front. He touched the corner of the pastel pink and was surprised at how…great it felt. It was so smooth and delicate. It looked funny against his worn hands and fingers, but not bad.

He couldn’t help but admire the work that the designers must have put into them to look like something in a magazine, but made to fit his body. He slid his finger across the lacy top of the panty, envious at how much better they probably stood against Georgia’s heat than his own underwear.

***

“How’s it going in there?” Carol asked patiently.

“I can’t do this!” Daryl shouted from inside the room and suddenly the door sprang open and he bolted past her and out the front door.

Carol stood in shock and couldn’t help but feel guilty at the quick glance she got at his troubled face. She hadn’t meant to push him like that and upset him. Michonne came over and embraced her from the side. Rick walked over to them and intended to comfort Carol as well and ease the queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, when he caught a glimpse inside the room. The lingerie was missing.

“I’m going after him,” he said and hurried out the door.

Michonne and Carol looked at the front door in bewilderment. Michonne turned to see what had set Rick into motion and noticed the missing the clothes too.  

***

Rick steeled himself for a moment when he walked into the store and saw Daryl bending over. There it was a pink, sexy strip of silk just under the bottom of his shirt.

Fuck, he was wearing it.  

He snuck up behind Daryl carefully and snapped the strap of the pink, pastel panty peeking out of his pants.  

“That’s mine,” he stated, referring to the lingerie.

Daryl jumped forward and turned around. His hunter reflexes kicking in hard. He wasn’t angry, he was embarrassed as hell.

“Daryl why did you walk off with my property if you didn’t want to do the shoot. Now I have to replace them. Can’t have used stuff,” Rick said with a firm but amused voice.

Daryl ducked behind Rick to hide himself from the view of a customer walking in. Rick continued to stare him down.

“Where’s the other one Daryl?” Rick asked, not letting up.

Daryl sank further into himself.

“We left you with two pairs. Now they’re both gone. You’re wearing one, so where’s the other?”

Daryl finally managed to look up at Rick properly. “You sound like a fucking cop,” Daryl gritted out, but the deep blush on his cheeks softened his glare.

“I was a cop,” Rick replied smugly, enjoying Daryl squirming for once.  

Daryl’s eyes widened, before he could say anything back his customer came over.

“Hey, Daryl?” The customer called out.

Daryl straightened up, locating his customer.

“You better pull your pants up,” Rick said teasingly. Daryl’s faced heated, but he did as he was told. Daryl focused his attention on the costumer, once the man left he turned back to Rick. Rick looked at him lazily, leaning back on the counter.

“I’ll pay you back,” Daryl muttered.

Rick’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re keeping them?” Rick pursed his lips in a similar fashion he’d seen Carol do. Daryl really wanted to keep the panties. It must have taken a lot out of him to admit it to Rick.

He had him.

“Don’t bother, consider them a gift.” Rick smiled kindly at him and made his way to the door. “But Daryl, there’s more where that came from,” he added, flirtatiously.

Daryl stared after him in shock.

“Stuff you couldn’t imagine, things.”

All Daryl could think was, _what kind of stuff_ , with a strange flutter in his stomach.

* * *

[Daryl in panties and vest! ](http://darylspanties.tumblr.com/post/110761012424/fun-times-i-like-this-style-better)  
  
[Daryl in a future photo shoot!](http://darylspanties.tumblr.com/post/106222806549/for-this-post-and-this-asshole-who-needs-to)

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anthony is a reference to an episode of Bad Lip reading parodying TWD. Just in case anyone was really confused. Also ground blinds are fucking cool, look them up.


End file.
